Perfect Timing for RTIP Students to have Scott Chaney as Guest Professor

Scott Chaney, steward for the California Horse Racing Board, made his biennial visit to Tucson on March 14th. Chaney, also an attorney and former assistant trainer, was the “guest professor” for both the Joe Hirsch Speaker Series, as well as the Advanced Racing Law class at the perfect time.

Just four days after the polarizing disqualification of McKinzie in the San Felipe stakes at Santa Anita, students got an in-depth analysis of what happened in the steward’s booth while the decision was being made. Being the hot-button topic of the week, Mr. Chaney gave both classes an opportunity to ask questions about the decision along with other race adjudication questions they had.

In the Joe Hirsch Speaker Series, Chaney also covered issues ranging from the controversial start of the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Classic, to the riding crop rule in California that he helped initiate. For the students in the Advanced Racing Law course, Mr. Chaney used the career of Masochistic, a racehorse who had just retired from a very interesting career, as a case study in many aspects of racing regulation. He also led the students in adjudicating races, many of which he had ruled on prior to the viewing in class.